GameStop Currently Testing Android-Based Tablet

GameStop has chosen the Android platform for a dedicated gaming tablet and is said to already be in the testing phase. The tablet will be branded with the GameStop name and will launch with a number of titles pre-installed. According to a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, president Tony Bartel indicated that the company is following the recent cloud trend and plans to offer games over the air. As far as who will be the manufacturer of the tablet, GameStop isn’t saying just yet.

“We definitely have selected one…We’re in test phase right now. But we’re excited at the prospect of coming out with this tablet. I would call it a ‘GameStop certified gaming platform.’ We looked at all the tablets and these are the ones that really worked for gaming and we’re going to give you a few benefits that you’re not going to get elsewhere.”

Aside from the standard slab gaming experience, GameStop expects to ship a dedicated hardware controller for a more immersive experience. As Bartel puts it, playing a game like Modern Warfare 3 doesn’t play with with just finger touches.

“There’s not a lot of tablet/android based games for the consumer that are designed to use an external controller. There are a few games out there and more that are coming, but our thought is that the tablet is a great immersive gaming device so it’s hard for us to envision how that tablet will really function as such without some sort of controller… So we’ve created a controller…”

With no indication as to how soon we’ll see this tablet debut, there’s nothing quite like the Q4 buying season to drop a gaming device on the market.

In addition to smartphones and mobile gadgets, Scott has a deep appreciation for film, music, and sunflower seeds. A husband and father, he likes spending down time riding his mountain bike or binge-watching TV. Scott has overseen the day-to-day activities of AndroidGuys since 2007.